The Demon's Wake
by KeptSecrets
Summary: "Don't turn back now." ... NaLu. Eventual E.N.D Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL.
1. Sickness

**_A/N Hey guys! This is a new story that I've been working really hard on! I hope you will read my next chapter when I eventually post it! Thanks, and Enjoy!_**

XxXxX

 **1 week before the battle with Alvarez…**

XxXxX

Lucy had left her apartment to meet Natsu in the morning at the guild hall as usual. It was a warm morning, with the sun occasionally peeking out from the clouds. The walk to the guild was peaceful and tame, something she was grateful for since she didn't like being in a rush.

Once she walked into the lively guild hall, everyone said their good mornings or glanced in her direction offering a hello. She lightly skipped up to the bar where Mira was drying some mugs and offered her a bright smile and a good morning,

"Good morning Mira! Say, you wouldn't know where Natsu is would you?" Lucy asked hopefully. The truth is, she hadn't seen him very much recently, and it was starting to worry her. Although after all that had happened, it was understandable that Natsu would want some alone time even if it was just for a little while.

"Yes actually, I saw him come in earlier! He took a seat at the far end of the guild where the request board is, so I suggest you look over there." Mira explained thoughtfully. She was hesitant to tell Lucy about how he looked, though, because it honestly scared her. She didn't worry about it though because he was Natsu for god's sake, he could get over anything if he tried. She had seen happy earlier, and Happy looked bad. Sleep deprived most likely, with bags under his normally bright eyes. But Natsu…

"Alright, thanks, Mira! I'm going to go find him" Lucy declared, standing up mid-sentence. She was getting low on cash this month, so a job was desperately needed to conjure up some dough. Her rent was due in a week, and since she just moved back to Magnolia from Crocus, she had to pay more expenses to get her house back. Even after everything, she managed to keep her head held high when fairy tail came back, as did most of the other fairy tail members.

Lucy started to walk in the direction Mira had pointed her to and waved at her fellow guild members as she strolled down the halls and around benches. She caught a glimpse of wild salmon colored hair and smiled. Lucy quickened her pace, but once she managed to get around all the people who were blocking most of her view of Natsu, her smile faltered.

She stared at Natsu from a distance before carefully approaching him. From a distance he looked.. bad. But as Lucy inched closer, realization hit her like a ton of bricks. Natsu was sick. She could feel his tinted magical aura from where she was standing, but it was stronger than what a usual mage would commonly have. It had a cloud of darkness surrounding it, and that's what terrified Lucy. She examined Natsu from top to bottom and pointedly figured out the dead giveaways that made it obvious he was sick.

He was hunched over, with his face hovering above the wooden table and his hands tightly cradled around the back of his neck. His face was pale, not the tan that usually stood out, in fact, he looked like a ghost. Natsu sensed Lucy's presence and slowly lifted his head to look at her. Lucy gasped at the prominent bags under his eyes and the dullness that clouded his usually vibrant green eyes.

"Wh.. What happened to you?" Lucy whispered with both her hands now covering her mouth. Tears threatened to fall, she hated seeing him like this… it didn't fit his cheerful character. He should be jumping around the guild hall, demanding fights and begging people to challenge him… he should not be hunched over a table, at the back of the guild, looking like death.

Natsu just sighed and stood up. Lucy noticed immediately that his legs were wobbly and unstable, as he swayed on his feet before momentarily regaining his balance. His eyes were half lidded and his posture was absolutely horrible, yet he took a step forward when his eyes widened.

Lucy was about to ask what was wrong when he suddenly collapsed onto the floor with a thud, barely giving Lucy enough time to catch his head and shoulders on her legs. With wide and incredibly concerned eyes, Lucy stared down at him. She noted that his breathing was shallow, and he has broken out into a cold sweat. His eyes were clenched tightly closed as if he were in pain while he let out a soft moan of agony.

"WENDY! WENDY! Please come here right now!" Lucy desperately called to Wendy, who was sitting at the bar, happily eating ice cream with Carla and Mira. Her head snapped around to look for where Lucy was, at the very back of the guild. She saw a limp body beneath her and immediately dashed towards the celestial mage. Lucy's sudden outburst caught the attention of almost everyone in the guild. They all looked around to look for her when they saw Natsu lying motionlessly on the ground with his head cradled by Lucy.

At some point, Lucy had started crying above Natsu, letting her tears freely drip onto his face and moisten his skin. Wendy already had her magic out to begin searching for his body for a sickness to heal, with her hands softly glowing a light blue hovering above Natsu's body. Wendy was beginning to feel nervous, because though it surprised her, she couldn't find a sickness to speak of…

XxXxX

 **Later - In the Infirmary**

XxXxX

Natsu was lying down in one of the white infirmary beds next to a window in the fairly large wooden room. Wendy had told Lucy that she couldn't find any sickness in his system and that she was coming back later to try looking for it again. Lucy doubted that she would be able to find one, though, because she already knew the cause of this wasn't a stupid bug going around. She thought Natsu had the same sickness she did, but it wasn't one that fully went away…

It was after the battle with Tartaros, that brought pain and suffering all in the name of Zeref. She lost Aquarius, Natsu, and her family, all in the span of one measly week. It all happened so fast that it hit her like a train on a track, and didn't leave her time to take in the blow... it winded her so she couldn't even breathe when the news came that fairy tail was disbanded. Being left all alone, she suffered a deep depression that eventually, made her sick. Loke and Virgo were the ones who nursed her back to health, always bringing gifts for her from the spirit world to help her feel better. She eventually came back to life and began her training with Capricorn and the other spirits. She never told anyone how sick she really was, because she didn't want anyone in her precious family to worry about her. Lucy is now wondering that the same situation is happening with Natsu. But he will try to prove that he was okay, no matter how sick or frail he was, he would try to get her to brush it off, she knew he would.

After sitting at his bedside for what seemed like an eternity, Lucy felt a warm presence behind her and instantly knew who it was. The leader of the Zodiac, Leo, or Loke as he prefers. He walked up behind her but didn't say anything, because he knew just by looking at Natsu, that this feeling was all too familiar. When she was sick, Loke and the other celestial spirits were devastated. They watched her suffer depression until she literally collapsed, and they knew they couldn't just stand by anymore. Lucy had said that she needed to be alone, that seeing her spirits would only cause her more pain. Loke realized though that she just didn't want to lose them...she just wanted to keep them safe.

"Hey," Loke said to the blonde who was resting her head on Natsu's side. He knew she cared for Natsu, and it was hurting her to see him like this. The fire dragon slayer was fragile, something Loke never would have thought to see.

"Hey," Lucy replied, her tone suggesting she was tired, with a mix of worry that blended with her exhaustion. She was tired, yet she couldn't bring herself to sleep. She was too worried about Natsu, and when he was going to wake up.

"You need to rest, Lucy. We can't let what happened to you happen again, do you understand?" Loke said with his voice laced with concern and worry, but still firm. If she kept this up, they would have to deal with two sick idiots.

"I know, but Loke," Lucy's voice lowered to the point where she was whispering, "I'm so worried. I'm so, so worried. Why is he like this? Has he been like this the whole time without telling me?" She started crying, burying her head into his side to muffle her sobs. Loke watched as her emotions broke down and poured themselves out of her soul.

She reached for Natsu's warm, calloused hand and brought it to her face. She gently kissed the back of it and laced her fingers with his before resting their hands gently on the bed. Loke watched the scene unfold, slightly feeling like he was intruding on the moment. Her bangs casted a shadow over her eyes and she said,

"Can I stay here? I promise I will get some sleep, just please, let me stay with him" She pleaded softly.

Loke felt like he had no other choice but to allow his master's wish, so he nodded slowly before glowing in a golden yellow light, entering the celestial realm.

Once he was gone, Lucy sighed and looked up to Natsu. How had it come to this? He seemed perfectly fine when they got back from his year-long training trip only about a week ago, so why was he suddenly suffering from a dark sickness? Or, at least, that's what she thought it was. Her questions were left unanswered as she lowered her head once again, grasping onto his hand as if it were a lifeline.

What she failed to see, was a black marking that was slowly creeping its way up his neck.

XxXxX

 **1 day before Natsu's reunion with Lucy - Two weeks before Fairy Tail rejoined…**

XxXxX

Natsu and Happy were on the outskirts of crocus, where they made a camp stay for the night. They were set up in a forest where many travelers avoid due to the monsters that are frequently seen in these parts. Natsu and Happy paid no heed to the signs that adorned warnings and 'beware's' because as far as they were concerned, the monsters were no threat. Although, Happy flew around to scout the area just to make sure it was safe, at least for the moment.

They made themselves a camp located next to a beautiful flowing waterfall that joined to a small pond below. Happy figured it would be a good place to bathe, and Natsu fully agreed. They hadn't bathed in at least a week, and the stench of their bodies not to mention their clothes was starting to bother even the dragon slayer. Once they set up their camp, they were eager to dive into the warm spring that was within reach.

The blue feline dove in first, since he only had to take off his small hood that he carried fish in while Natsu had to strip himself of all his clothes. Ever since Natsu had left on his year-long trip, he had gotten immensely powerful. He practically maxed out all of his old attacks, so he learned some new spells and techniques that he worked on and eventually mastered. To hide his identity when they were crossing through towns, he wore a large black tattered cloak that covered most of his body. There was a risk of having people recognize him, or else he might have been publicly announced and he didn't want any interruptions or inconveniences.

Once he practically tore the cloak off his body and pulled off the remainders of his clothing, Natsu launched himself into the waters. The water was a crystal clear blue that he could see right through to the round black rocks that were the ground beneath him. An occasional rock had some vibrant green sea moss on it, and a few had some fresh water fish hiding under them. Natsu observed the pond in awe. It was shaped like a big round hot tub, with big rocks lining it around the outside. The waterfall was not a raging one, but rather a calm and peaceful one, as the water flowed almost soundlessly. There was a big rock that was situated only a foot or two beneath the surface, which Natsu moved himself to sit on.

He leaned back against a rock with a pleased sigh, enjoying the feeling of dirt being released from his pores and the rush of cleanliness that washed over him. Happy came flying over with a smile on his face and sat down beside Natsu, who grinned back at him.

"Hey, Happy! Isn't this great!?" Natsu said with enthusiasm. The last time he took a bath, he had to rush out of a person's bathroom naked because he thought it was a public wash house.

"It sure is! I still can't believe last time you tried to take a bath, that was the funniest thing ever!" Happy said with a laugh. He could hardly believe how utterly stupid his best friend is, even after all of this time.

"Pfft Shut up Happy," Natsu said with a slightly annoyed expression, yet his words were light, "How was I supposed to know it was their house?! Ugh, people have huge houses these days, it's hard to tell them apart from a freaking Mall!"

Happy just sighed, and they sat there in silence for a while watching the birds fly above. It was a peaceful silence, and both Natsu and Happy enjoyed the pond that was cleaning the filth off of them.

"Hey Happy, I think we should get out soon because we don't want to get wrinkles!" Natsu suddenly piped up, making Happy startle awake from a sleep that nearly claimed him.

"Aye…" Happy agreed tiredly. He was really tired from flying all day. He and Natsu got out of the spring and shivered when cold air gusted across their skin. Natsu looked down at his arms and saw that he had goosebumps, so he rubbed his arms in order to keep warm. After Natsu had walked over to his clothes and put on his pants, he suddenly heard a gasp come from behind him. Natsu whirled around to see Happy with tears forming in the corners of his wide eyes.

"Happy! You scared the crap out of me! What's wrong?" Natsu asked in a concerned tone. He knew Happy wasn't looking to scare him, because if he was he would use a different approach.

"Natsu… Your back…" Happy whispered. His eyes were as wide as Natsu had ever seen them, but the tears shadowed the shock with worry and panic.

"What?"

"There are black marks all over your back, Natsu" Happy was crying fully with tears streaming from his eyes but could still manage to mutter out,

"It says **END** "

XxXxX

 **After the bath - That night**

XxXxX

 _ **Natsu's P.O.V**_

Everywhere as far as the eye could see there was darkness. Above me were midnight blues and below me, blacks that took the name 'black' to a whole new level. I wasn't even sure if where I was looking was up but I felt like I was sinking, being pulled deeper down into the abyss. It wasn't like I was floating in water, but more like a thick syrup that moved slower than molasses in January. I can't really move my body. It's almost like my limbs are frozen in place, my muscles feel too cold and stiff to move.

As I sunk, I thought about how I had gotten there. Where am I anyway? My brain was foggy, almost as if I had amnesia. At some point, I finally remembered my name, Natsu. Natsu Dragneel. Everything else was a blur, though, and I can't even begin to remember what I look like. My memories are gone, not a trace left behind except for my name, that's it. I searched and searched my head for just the slightest bit of information, but to no avail. And in that moment, a force suddenly launched me upward, towards the surface of whatever had imprisoned me. The blow left me breathless, desperate for air.

All of a sudden, I could breathe again. While I was heaving on the ground that seems like glass, I cracked one eye open only to find blinding white light. Above me, a blue sky with clouds scattered throughout but no sun to speak of. For miles, all I could see was the same glass white floor.

"Welcome, Natsu" I heard a deep voice come from behind me. A memory flashed before my eyes.

A little boy with spiky pink hair and a white scarf was running in a golden field in the forest when he ran into a big hard surface. Since he seemed to be young, he was on the verge of tears from just the small bump. But the tears vanished when a look of pure excitement took its place. He had a look of pure happiness when he jumped onto a big, red, scaley dragon that was sleeping contently in the meadow. "Igneel!" The boy yelled with enthusiasm, a big bright smile practically splitting his face.

The memory cut off sharply, leaving me dazed and confused. What just happened? Whatever it was, it left me with a whole new light of perspective. I remembered something. I remembered Igneel, the king of all fire dragons, my father. I spun on my heel to look where the voice came from and was presented with none other than the dragon that I saw in my memories.

"Igneel?" I said, but I couldn't bring my voice to raise above a whisper. My voice sounded foreign to how it was in my memory, it was deep and masculine like I was a lot older.

"Natsu, try to remember," Igneel said with soft eyes, "Try to remember your friends in Fairy Tail"

 _Fairy Tail?_

"Fairy Tail…" The name rolled off my tongue like it was the most natural thing in the world. Realization struck me again, but this time, I remembered a lot more.

 _Fairy Tail, Natsu, how could you forget? It's your home, where you met all of your friends, it's where you met your family._ A woman's voice was speaking to me, but it made me relax for some reason. _Fairy Tail is the reason we became friends, Natsu! We've had so many adventures together, we've fought together, and we've laughed together. You, me, Happy, Erza, Gray, Wendy and Carla are a team! We're team Natsu!_

It all came back to me. How could I forget? I would do anything for Fairy Tail, I would die to keep my family safe. Erza Scarlet. Gray Fullbuster. Wendy Marvell. Happy. Carla. And… Lucy Heartfilia. All of the names of my friends came back to my memory.

Erza and her long, flowing scarlet hair. Gray with his weird stripping habit and sword pendant. Wendy's shyness and caring nature. Carla, who has a strict personality but loves Wendy and the guild with all her heart. Happy, my best friend who's always been there for me to make me laugh when I'm sad. And Lucy, who I care for more than anyone in the world, my best friend, and teammate.

The rest of the guild popped into my head. Gramps, Laxus, Mystogan, Mira, Lisanna, Juvia, Gajeel, Levy, Lily, Cana, Alzack, Bisca, Asuka, Macao, Wakaba, Romeo, Evergreen, Elfman, Bickslow, Freed, Jet, Droy, Max, Mest, Nab, Reedus, Warren, Vijeeter, Laki, Kinana, Loke, and Gildarts. So many people who I consider family.

"I remember everything…" I whispered to the voice in my head, then looked to Igneel and said more loudly, "I remember everything, everyone, and all the adventures I've gone on"

"That's very good Natsu," Igneel said with a warm grin since dragons can't really smile. His expression suddenly turned serious and he stared into my eyes with an intensity I've never seen him wear, "Now, I need you to keep on remembering them. Something is coming Natsu, and I won't be able to hold it off forever. It is pure evil, and it will surely try to take over your soul."

I took this information in, but I had so many questions for Igneel. What was he holding off? Why is he telling me this?

"When it comes, Natsu, you have to be prepared to fight. You need to be able to remember." Igneel was now glowing with a yellow light, "I won't be able to protect your soul forever"

Shock suddenly flooded my body, as I just remembered, Igneel was dead. He died before my eyes after Acnologia ripped off half of his body.

"W-wait! Igneel! Please… PLEASE DON'T LEAVE AGAIN! IGNEEL PLEASE COME BACK!" I shouted after my father, who was slowly disappearing, fading into a golden light that entirely enveloped his huge dragon form.

"This isn't Goodbye, I'm sure we'll meet again soon, my son…" These were his last words, before he disappeared into thin air, leaving nothing but a small book that lay on the glass floor.

Natsu grabbed the book and clutched it tightly to his chest. He let one tear slip out of the corner of his eye as he stood tall, focused his eyes in a determined fashion and said to himself,

"Okay, I'll be ready. But when we meet again, I'll beat your ass to the moon and back for not explaining all of this Old Man!"

XxXxX

 **Present time… Infirmary**

XxXxX

Natsu rose from unconsciousness groggily. He opened his eyes to be greeted with the wooden roof of the infirmary and his sensitive nose picked up some fresh summer air blowing in from the window. He remembered when he passed out in Lucy's arms, he could feel the curse getting darker. Natsu let it slide for the time being since he finally got some uninterrupted sleep.

Natsu lifted his head up to cross his arms underneath it when he found he couldn't move his left hand. He looked down to find that Lucy was clutching onto it while she rested her head on his side. He smiled down at her, glad to see she was getting some rest. His slight movement woke her up, though, and he immediately felt guilty for interrupting her sleep.

Lucy lifted her head and her eyes widened. She examined Natsu and noted that he looked considerably better. His eyes regained the blazing fire that they once held, and the bags under his eyes had gone away. She figured those two problems were from sleep deprivation most likely. His tanned skin was once again, and he was smiling at her, both very good signs.

Lucy let out a relieved sigh and relaxed, "I was beginning to wonder when you were going to wake up" She said with a chuckle.

Natsu perked up at her voice and his grin grew. "Yeah, sorry I made you worried," He said to her with a sad smile. He didn't like seeing her worried, but he hated seeing her hurt most of all. He knew she would forgive him for staying asleep so long.

"I'm glad to see you're okay, Natsu. The whole guild has been worried sick about you! But more importantly, what happened to you Natsu?" Lucy asked, she sounded like she was incredibly frightened at what he would answer to her, but she wouldn't know how bad it really was.

Natsu sighed and looked out the window. Should he tell her? He kept it hidden pretty well since only Happy knew. Ever since that night, things had changed. He knew what Igneel had warned him about now, and he was doing his best to fight it every night. It was only nightmares, but enduring them took incredible strength that began to take its toll on his body, and that's how he ended up here. He tried to act Happy for his friends, for Lucy, but on the inside, he was in agonizing pain.

"Natsu, are you sick?" Lucy asked desperately. It was clear she wanted to know really badly, but he couldn't tell her yet, he couldn't tell anyone yet. He needed to figure out what was happening to him and get rid of it himself. For the sake of the guild.

"Lucy," Natsu looked directly into her eyes with his that contained regret hidden deep within them, which he covered with a mask of happiness "I'm fine! I think I might have eaten some bad fish or something, but that's Happy's fault! I also haven't been sleeping very well, so that's probably all it was" He said with a hearty laugh.

Lucy wasn't fooled, though, she knew he was hiding something from her. She was determined to figure out what it is because she wants to help! She was tired of sitting around and doing nothing for her friend when she knew he needed help. Lucy decided to play along with his little lie, but she was not going to be tricked.

"Okay, I'm going to tell the guild that you're fine and you woke up and that you're going to take a nap before getting up and coming down to see them. Rest up, Natsu!" Lucy said as she got up and turned to go out the door.

"Thanks, Luce!" Natsu yelled to her with a big smile as she slipped out of the doorway and into the guild halls. His smile left his face the instant she left, and was replaced with an exhausted frown. He would definitely need rest to keep this up, so with reluctance, he pulled the covers up to his chest and closed his eyes.

Next, he waited for the nightmares to arrive.

XxXxX

 ** _Review!_**

 _ **Review!**_


	2. Mission

**The Demon's Wake**

 _ **3 a.m - In the Infirmary...**_

* * *

Natsu woke up panting, bolting up out of the nightmares that taunted him. The rush of adrenaline he had in his dream was gone, and now he felt exhausted from the blows he had taken in his dream. He had fought the demon once again, but it seemed to be getting stronger and it was beginning to become an even bigger challenge to fend off. Shaking off the nightmare, he looked around the dark room as he wiped the sweat from his cold forehead. He could make out several other beds, fitted with white linens. _I must still be in the infirmary…_ He thought to himself.

The moon shone a pale blue through the glass pane, wood framed window. It shadowed the dark trees that hung over the guilds outside cafe. It almost made me nervous, how _eerily_ _silent_ it was. All he could hear was his heart beating… _bud-ump…_ the blood in his body rushing… _bud-ump…_ his lungs slowly exhaling breaths… _bud-ump_ … _bud-ump_ … _bud-ump..._

The door creaked slowly open, the silence gone. He could feel his heart rate accelerating, his heart pounding in his chest. _Is this another nightmare? Can't I catch a break?_ Natsu thought as the door opened wider. When he saw a bit of long, silky blond hair, he relaxed immediately. The scent of strawberries and vanilla wafted towards him and sent shivering tingles down his spine. A woman's head peeped through the doorway and her big brown eyes silently roamed over the room.

"Natsu? Sorry, I heard you wake up when I was going to come in and check on you" Lucy said quietly to Natsu, who was still lightly panting from his nightmare. He was sitting up now, resting his back against the wooden frame of the bed and looking at her with interest.

Natsu looked out the window for a moment but then looked back to Lucy,

"Thanks, Luce. Wait, why are you up so late?" He asked her with confusion. Lucy started walking over to him, keeping her footsteps as light as possible to make sure she didn't wake up any of the drunk, sleeping guild members downstairs.

"Oh, I haven't been getting very good sleep lately, so I kind of stay up really late sometimes," She said with a yawn. It was true she wasn't getting many hours of sleep, but she was hesitant to tell Natsu why.

"You and me both. I haven't been able to get a good wink of sleep since I woke up from being unconscious..." Natsu said with sorrow. The nightmares just kept on coming and they didn't ease up, they just became stronger, something that Natsu was almost used to dealing with now.

Lucy sat down on the edge of his bed, her back facing the window and her head hanging on her shoulders. She had dark circles beneath her eyes and her face was a bit paler than usual. Natsu easily noticed her exhaustion and sighed to himself. He wished she would be happy and healthy, just like every other guild member since Fairy Tail's revival.

"You should get some sleep, Lucy. It's not healthy to be staying up so late all the time. Even if your sleep isn't good, it's still sleep and it's healthy for you," Natsu said with a now stern voice and a frown on his face, "Please, just… go to bed okay?"

Lucy frowned and looked over to Natsu who was sitting up straight and looking down at her with authority. Suddenly, a smile made its way onto her face and she threw her head back with a laugh.

"What's so funny?" Natsu asked, raising an eyebrow and crossing his arms over his chest.

"Aha, nothing. It's just when did you become so mature?" Lucy laughed again, "It's so funny when you try to act like an adult Natsu," She said with a teasing tone.

"Hey! I can act like an adult sometimes!" Natsu said with a huff, turning his face towards the window. He had a small pout on his face, which Lucy thought was a little bit adorable. Even though they were both almost 17, Lucy knew that she and Natsu could both act like

immature children sometimes. Natsu especially, when he is with his longtime friend/rival, Gray.

"Well anyway, I'll go to sleep if you promise to go to sleep too," Lucy said with a strict look in her brown eyes. He sighed, _If only you knew Lucy,_ Natsu thought. "And, we have to go on a mission tomorrow, since you fell unconscious and I never got the chance to go on one"

Natsu brightened up at the idea. A mission sounded like a great way to distract him, and instead of doing all the fighting on the inside of his body, he'd finally be able to cut loose on some real monsters.

"Sure thing Luce! We'll go find a job as soon as we both wake up!" Natsu said with a big smile now splitting his face. Boy, could his emotions change quickly. "Now then, go to bed and don't wake up until morning!"

"Okay!" Lucy said gleefully, lightly skipping towards the door. "Night, Natsu!" She said before shutting the door behind her, leaving the room cloaked in darkness once again.

Natsu sighed deeply and slid down into his bed from his sitting position. He closed his eyes and allowed his nightmares to capture him for another round of endless fighting for his body.

Natsu didn't get an ounce of sleep, or at least he felt like he didn't. He was resting with his eyes closed, but not sleeping, when the door to the infirmary slammed open and someone came running to his bedside. His eyes snapped open to look at the intruder. Lucy pounced onto his bed and jumped all over Natsu, leaving him heaving for air and groaning when she jumped on spots that were bruised.

"Wake up, wake up, wake up! I wanna go on a job!" Lucy yelled at him. Jesus, didn't this girl have any sympathy for the poor dragon slayer? Natsu's whole body hurt from his nightmares, especially his back, which was where they originated from.

"Ah geez Luce, give me a minute to wake up would ya?" Natsu moaned with fake sleepiness. He wished he could just get rid of these stupid nightmares, along with the curse on his back. He mostly knew what it was now. A demon that was trying to possess him… Okay, so he didn't know all of the details, but he did know that he couldn't let it take over his body or else something like super bad would happen.

"Come on Natsu! Let's go before all of the good jobs are taken!" Lucy said excitedly, not really paying attention to Natsu's complaints. She grabbed his arm and tugged it hard so he fell out of bed.

"Okay okay i'm coming!" Natsu replied with a tinge of annoyance. This girl would be the death of him.

After Lucy stopped pestering Natsu and left to allow him to change clothes, they made their way downstairs into the bustling guild hall. Once they arrived, many members of Fairy Tail came rushing towards Natsu. They all asked him questions like, "Are you okay?" "What happened?" or "How are you?", it made Natsu's heart feel warm just knowing his friends cared so much about him. He reassured each and everyone one of his fellow guild members that he was okay, and that they had nothing to worry about.

After everyone finally dispersed, Natsu saw two of his best friends come walking up to him from across the guild hall.

"You had us worried, Natsu" Was the first thing Erza said as she approached Natsu, "You will never scare us like that again, is that understood?" She said with a glare that made Natsu's being tremble.

"Y-Yes ma'am" Natsu replied to the scary woman in front of him.

"That being said, are you alright? I hope you are well enough to be going on jobs now." She said in a calmer voice. She flipped some of her scarlet hair over her armored shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm good" He replied instantly, not wanting to anger his terrifying red haired friend. She was definitely the scariest woman he's ever known, he didn't even want to remember the last time she beat him up for flattening her cheesecake on the ground. Big mistake.

"Glad to hear it," She said with a smile and a nod, "Gray, is there anything you want to say?"

"Nah, I don't wanna talk to that pink haired freak anyway" Gray appeared beside Erza with his usual messy dark hair and bored eyes.

"What'd u say, brain freeze?!" Natsu flamed up with anger at his frienemies snarky comment.

"You heard me, pink haired punk!"

"Wanna go, pervy popsicle?!"

"Sure thing, ya' pyro!"

Fists were thrown and soon enough, they were throwing each other over chairs and tables making sure to break them along the way. Lucy watched while sweat-dropping at their wild antics, but then looked over to Erza who was emitting a dark aura from she was standing. Suddenly, she walked into the middle of their fight, grabbed the hair on the two boys heads and bashed their skulls together.

"WE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS, YOU FOOLS!" She yelled with a soul piercing glare. Both boys trembled under her stare and Lucy just laughed heartily at the scene. Only Erza would be able to put an end to these boy's shenanigans.

* * *

Once Natsu, Gray, Erza and Lucy had caught up with recent events, they went over to the request board to find a job. Lucy noticed that their team looked a bit small and realized that they were missing three of their usual members

"Hey Erza, where are Wendy, Carla and Happy?" Lucy asked her friend who was observing the request board thoroughly. Erza didn't turn to look at Lucy, but lifted a hand to her chin to indicate that she was thinking.

"I think Wendy said she was going on a job with Levy and Gajeel. Of course, Carla went with her, but Happy wanted to go too for extra help. He was hesitant at first though, I could tell he wanted to stay here with you to wait until Natsu woke up, but he ended up going with Wendy and Carla anyway" Erza explained to Lucy, who was listening intently.

"Oh I see. Is it okay for us to leave then? I mean, won't they be worried that we're gone when they get back?" Lucy asked again with her tone filled with worry.

"Relax Lucy, everything will be fine. We will take a day job and be back before they return from their mission. They left yesterday, but Gajeel told me before they left that it might actually take a few days to complete. You have nothing to worry about. Now, will you help me pick out a job?" Erza explained their mission and then turned towards the board once again. Her words comforted Lucy, and she began to focus her attention on finding a job.

Many of the jobs were simple tasks that were nothing compared to what their team was used to. Lucy's eyes scanned each slip of paper carefully, making sure to read the job description and the reward as well. Finally she found a job that looked perfect for their team. It was a simple task, capture a group of bandits and find a magical stone that was stolen from a wealthy family.

"Hey Erza, what about this one?" Lucy asked, pulling the job request off the board and walking over to where Erza was standing. Surely it would be suitable for what they were aiming for, right?

Erza took the sheet of paper from Lucy and studied it. Her eyes roamed the page and she hummed approvingly,

"Indeed, this looks like a job that fits our criteria," Erza nodded at the paper in hand, "Alright I'll go tell Mira we are taking this job. Go and get your supplies together and tell Natsu and Gray that we are leaving."

Erza left Lucy to walk over to the bar where Mira was talking to other guild members. Lucy zoned out for a minute watching Erza walk towards the bar but quickly snapped out of it. She went over to where Natsu and Gray were still looking at the request board and waved at them,

"Hey guys! Me and Erza found a job, so go and get your stuff ready and packed! I think if we hurry, we can make the ten o'clock train" Lucy said to the boys who turned their attention towards her. Gray looked satisfied while Natsu's face immediately went green.

"Ugh, we have to go on a train?" He asked weakly, while Lucy gave him a look of pity. The poor dragon slayer has always had a bad case of motion sickness, and she remembered when she first met him she felt really sorry for him. But as their friendship developed, it became a normal thing to Lucy, seeing him turn blue whenever he was on a mode of transportation.

"Man, stop being so pathetic! Are you seriously getting sick just thinking about it?" Gray questioned Natsu who was leaning over and clutching his stomach. Natsu looked over to him with annoyance on his face and sent him a deadly glare,

"I swear to God you never shut your trap. Can you please just shut up 'cause you are really pushing it right now," Natsu snapped at Gray, who was backing away slightly with wide eyes. Natsu felt something _really hot_ in the center of his back and his eyes widened "Get your stuff, we're leaving soon." Natsu was out of the guild before Lucy or Gray could even begin to comprehend what just happened.

"Wow ok, I was just messing around with him. What's his problem?" Gray turned to Lucy, who was looking at where Natsu had disappeared to. She wanted to tell Gray that she knew something was wrong with him, but she didn't know what would happen if she did. She didn't know how Natsu or Gray might react, and she didn't even know if what she thought was true. She just knew that _something_ was wrong.

Lucy turned to Gray, "I don't know. Let's go and get our stuff okay? We can't miss the next train!" She said running off towards the guild's entrance. Gray was left standing frozen where Lucy had left him, stunned by the events that had just transpired.

* * *

Natsu walked home in silence, only listening to the beat of his heart. Somehow it reassured him that he was still human, that he was still him. He didn't know what came over him. He was just feeling sick and then he was suddenly really angry. It wasn't him. _It wasn't me_ , Natsu thought to himself while taking both of his hands and raising them to rest on his temples that were throbbing with headache.

He knew it wasn't him. It was the demon and he was sure of it. When he was angry, he felt a hot presence on his back and that's when he snapped out of it. He had to leave before anyone might have seen the black marks that had expanded to just above his tailbone, where his shirt lifted up a bit. He couldn't risk anyone finding out, not after all he has been doing to keep it a secret.

After Natsu had successfully calmed down, fully, he arrived at his log house on the edge of town. It wasn't a very convenient place to live, but he loved how secluded and private it was. He didn't like having neighbors or really anyone around his territory because it made him feel like he was

constantly being watched or followed. At least here he was worry free.

He opened his door and immediately went to go find his backpack. He packed food, a water canteen, spare clothes and a bit of extra cash, along with his trusty blanket. He made sure to change into a shirt that would cover his whole back, so he decided on a black shirt that Gray dropped that one time. Well, when was Gray _not_ dropping his shirt. Stupid guy and his weird habits.

* * *

Natsu, Erza, Gray and Lucy met at the Magnolia train station. Natsu had his usual green backpack with a burgundy blanket rolled up and strapped in on top of it, but his attire had changed. Instead of wearing his normal vest, he wore a black loose-fitting t-shirt. He still had the same old baggy white pants that cut off at mid calf and tied off with a black string, as well as his scaly white scarf wrapped loosely around his neck.

Erza came prepared with her wagon filled with mounds of luggage bags and wore her usual heart kreuz armor. Gray showed up with absolutely no luggage to speak of, but he was wearing more clothes than usual, consisting of a long white trench coat that opened in the middle and a skin tight black t-shirt. And finally, the last to show up was Lucy, who was wearing a tight pink striped crop and baby blue short-shorts. Her long blond hair was loose and trailed all the way down to her mid-back.

"Alright, I have already bought the tickets. Let's board the train before it leaves." Erza said while making her way over to the large red train. Everyone boarded and went to their usual booth, where they say down and made themselves comfortable. Natsu sat beside the window while Lucy slid in after him, and facing them was Gray, who chose to sit on the window side and Erza who sat beside him.

The train started moving slowly, but after about a minute of warming up the engine, the train started to move at full speed. Natsu was a sickly green, his face occasionally changing colors to a blue or purple. He was hunched over against the window clutching his stomach tightly, letting out strings of curses and groans. Lucy felt nervous sitting next to him, worried that he might suddenly vomit all over her out of the blue. She still felt bad for him though, no matter how tough his foes can be, his stomach was always his worst enemy.

"This train ride is to be at least two hours, so make yourselves comfortable," Erza suddenly spoke up, reaching into her pocket to grab the job request paper, "It says here that the clients mansion is located in the town of Kuuma. I did some quick research before we left and discovered that it's a small village, situated in a secluded forest, with a population of only about one thousand."

Erza continued to explain where they were going and how the job was going to come to pass. Once they all had a mutual understanding of the job, they went back to doing their own things in a comfortable silence. Erza and Gray talked a bit while Lucy tried to get Natsu to feel better. Seconds became minutes and eventually their two hours were almost up.

Lucy looked out the window and observed where they were arriving. It was a quaint town but looked quite peaceful. All of the buildings were white and had many windows, and people were walking along the streets with smiles on their faces. Small trees and patches of grass decorated the sidewalks. There were a few larger buildings that had a gothic church theme to them, but in the distance on the far edge of town, you could see a large white mansion with a pair of steel black gates guarding it.

The team exited the train and picked up their luggage. Erza led the way out of the building into the paved streets of Kuuma. Lucy, Natsu and Gray trailed behind Erza with excitement while observing the shops that lined the small but busy roads. They walked through the town for about forty-five minutes until they reached a narrow paved road only just big enough to fit a carriage on.

Shortly after they carried onto the narrow street, they arrived at a large white mansion that looked like it had an french build. Numerous white framed windows lined the tall gray stone walls and two large white pillars stood on either side of the entrance. The roof was a simple gray color dark enough to attract heat in the winter but mellow enough to deflect it in the summer.

The team stood in awe of the mansion until Erza quickly snapped her fingers to crack her friends out of their daze.

"This is no time to be standing still, we have a job to do." Erza walked towards the door that was about five feet taller than necessary. She knocked three firm times on the door and waited patiently for someone to answer the door. After only about a minute, the door delicately opened to reveal a young girl about their age. She had long chestnut hair that flowed all the way down her back and large purple eyes. She wore a silk amaranthine dress where the sleeves cut off at the elbow, as well as a pearl necklace and white high heels to accompany her dress. To say she looked like a princess would be a correct assumption.

"Hello, you must be the wizards we have hired to complete our request! Please, come in." The girl smiled and opened the door wider to let the Fairy Tail wizards inside. When they entered they saw large stairs velvet stairs that were centered in the middle of the room and a giant crystal chandelier hanging over top of them. They followed the girl silently through the spacious home and looked at all of the artwork and such as they passed through multiple rooms.

After 5 long minutes of walking through long, sheer white marble hallways, they finally arrived at a room with a set of large wooden was incredibly kempt in the white mansion. The young lady opened the doors and then stepped aside to let the guests enter the room. They slightly hesitantly walked through the doors and saw a man sitting at a desk at the far side of the room, next to a floor to ceiling window that covered the gigantic wall. The man turned around so the team could see his face. He was tall but looked a bit old, with his black and gray hair gelled back on his head. He has a dark mustache and wore a classic black tuxedo.

"Ah, Hello! You are the fairy tail wizards I hired, correct? My name is Galain, it's nice to meet you." The man said, waving in greeting to the group in front of him.

"Yes we are here to ask details of the mission you want us to fulfill. It's nice to meet you as well, my name is Erza Scarlet" Erza introduced herself, walking over to him and holding out an armored hand to him.

"Of course, although the jist of it was on the paper. I assure you this won't take long." He said taking her hand and giving it a firm shake. He led the group over to a large, comfy looking couch and ushered them to sit down. He sat down opposite from them on a black leather lounger.

"Where do I start… oh I know. So where to find the bandits... They have been repeatedly spotted in an area not to far from this village on a dirt road that many traders use to transport their goods. A river runs through the path, so while back a bridge was made to allow the people to cross. It is called the Silent River. On one side, the bandits have repeatedly ambushed the travellers and stolen all of their supplies. While some workers of mine were travelling back from an expedition I had sent them on, they were ambushed and the jewel they were sent to retrieve was stolen. The stone was a sacred jade that had supposedly large amounts of magical power,

Anyway, It was stolen and I will muchly appreciate it if you would get it back for me. You will be rewarded with 4 million jewel if you complete this task successfully." Galain finished, leaning back in his recliner and folding his hands in his lap.

"Very well, Thank you Galain." Erza said as she got up and left the room with her team following her.

* * *

Natsu, Gray, Lucy and Erza left the mansion and immediately started their trek for the dirt road. The bridge was probably only about three miles from where the town was, which was actually quite a risky place to be stealing on the bandits part, since it is still very close to the town. They must not be a very intelligent band of thieves.

It would take approximately an hour to walk three miles. Although, since they were walking uphill it would take them about 10 more minutes to reach the bridge. The group walked together in a line along the pavement roads, weaving through town to get to the dirt road entrance. They were silent for the time being, knowing very well that they would disturb the peace if they got into an argument of any sort. Especially Natsu and Gray, who avoided each other like the plague to prevent any fights that could occur, something they both would want to avoid for once. None of them wanted to disrupt the peaceful serenity of the village.

They finally reached the dirt road and let out relieved sighs. "I'm glad we decided not to talk when we were walking through the village. It was a wise decision on our part," Erza said to the group, who were walking with exhausted, hunched backs.

"I didn't realize how hard it is to walk without talking to you guys," Natsu said, sounding like he was already tired just from walking through the village. He turned to Gray and looked at him solemnly, "By the way, I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me back at the guild. Don't worry about it" He said with a smile.

Gray looked over to Natsu and grinned at him apologetically, "It's fine, I was the one who provoked you in the first place. Sorry man" He said to Natsu, who was looking at him with gratitude. They both went in for their handshake and grinned.

"Aw how sweet! I ship it!" Lucy suddenly said from behind them, clapping her hands with a wide smile on her face. Natsu and Gray turned towards her sharply and their smiles vanished from their faces. Both boys now had harsh glares, sending them towards Lucy, who didn't even seem to acknowledge them. Gray turned away again and looked over his shoulder at her.

"You are completely mental if you think I actually like Natsu even as a _friend_. Since when have you started acting like Mira anyways?" He said with an exasperated sigh. Mira was the couple maker of Fairy Tail, the one who finds people who either look good together or have compatibility, and she try's to get them together.

"I haven't, but seriously since when do you two actually apologize to each other? I thought you always just got over it, what's so different this time?" Lucy asked, genuinely curious as to why the two boys were suddenly acting so different.

"I guess things have changed." Gray answered shortly, making it clear that he wasn't interested in making any more of the conversation. It was true though. Over a year of time, of leave from the guild. Everyone is different. Gajeel and Levy joined the _council_ , and everyone else had joined different guilds. They all matured in their own way, and that includes him and Natsu apparently.

Erza spoke up, "Enough of this talk. Yes Gray, things have changed and I'm glad that you and Natsu have matured, however we need a plan for our upcoming confrontation. Does anyone have any suggestions?"

"I say we go with Plan T!" Natsu said excitedly, turning on his heel and walking backwards facing Erza and Lucy, who were walking behind him and Gray.

"What's Plan T?" Lucy asked Natsu, who was growing a mischievous smirk and lit his fists on fire.

"Take em' by storm!" He yelled dramatically, throwing a couple fake punches into the air in front of him. Natsu threw a hand up in the air, and it was left there for a moment before a look of realization and sadness crossed his face, and he brought it back down. Lucy saw Natsu's little slip of memory, forgetting that Happy wasn't there to high five him like he always was. Lucy watched as he shook it off and regained his composure in time for Erza and Gray not to notice.

"Alright, aside from Natsu's idiotic suggestion, do we have any other idea's?" Erza asked finally, her tone suggesting that she would only ask once more until she came with a plan herself.

"I think we should ambush the bandits before they even know what hit them. We would get there before they arrive and wait for them to take their places, and then attack with full force to make sure they don't get away. Assuming they are just regular bandits and not powerful wizards, I think this will be a piece of cake for us!" Lucy explained to Erza, who was walking beside her and looking at Lucy in the corner of her eye. She took a moment to think about Lucy's plan and rubbed her chin.

"Indeed that sounds like a sufficient plan. Alright, we will proceed with Lucy's plan. Do we all agree?" Erza confirmed, making sure it was okay with everyone.

"Yes ma'am!" They all said in unison. They talked endlessly about how they were going to subdue enemies and where they were going to hide to capture them with excitement the rest of the walk.

* * *

They arrived at the Bridge and analyzed it thoroughly. It was a wooden bridge, with the rails painted black. It wasn't arched or anything, just a flat, straight bridge. What surprised them the most was the raging river flowing underneath it. The water was splashing up against the banks of the shore and there were white caps in the center of the river.

"For a river called 'Silent', this is an awfully loud river" Natsu had to raise his voice above the rushing sounds of the waterway. All joking aside, he was actually pretty uneasy about crossing the bridge. Was the river always like this?

"Whatever. Let's cross before the water rises even higher!" Gray had already started jogging towards the bridge as he spoke and began to cross it.

"I agree with Gray! Let's go!" Erza followed Gray in suit, with Natsu and Lucy shortly trailing after her.

Once they were all across the bridge, that was only about 50 meters long, they all let out a few deep breaths.

"Am I the only one who got a rush from that?" Lucy questioned while looking up to Natsu, Erza and Gray, hoping for someone to agree with her.

"You must be a really boring person if you think crossing a bridge is exciting Lucy" Gray replied with a teasing smile. He had his usual bored look in his eyes, but Lucy could see the faintest amount of energy as well. Lucy smirked, then humphed and turned away, focusing on where they were now.

"Let's go and get into position. I didn't realize it until now but we actually spent a long time walking here, it's almost four o'clock. If we don't hurry, we'll be walking home in the dark," Erza said, but she paused when she felt something wet on her face. She looked up and saw a large grey cloud coming from over top of the mountain, "and in the rain, apparently." She finished, sounding quite displeased.

Lucy looked up with a frown. She felt numerous rain drops fall on her face and sighed deeply. This would only make the job a bit harder, but it's a pain in the butt running after bandits with pellets of rain hitting you in the face and soaking your clothes. At least it was a pretty warm day, and the rain wasn't particularly cold.

Suddenly, Natsu spoke up, "Guys! I can hear the bandits coming. We need to hide now." He said with urgency, pointing his finger into the woods, "Let's hide in there" After that, he took off running and motioning for his team to follow him.

They ran after Natsu and found a nice little ridge for them to peek out at the bandits, who were coming into view on the dirt road. They were perched above about 20 bandits who were talking to each other about their favorite pubs and bars, but mostly about what they were going to do with the money they stole from numerous people. They all looked exactly the same, with a brown cloak and a headband that covered most of their greasy black and brown hair.

"Each of us will take five of the bandits. Subdue them, do not harm them, we need to turn them in for their crimes." Erza said, nudging Gray and Natsu specifically. The river's rushing water was a bit muffled from where they were, but the rain made it loud enough that it was clear the bandits couldn't hear them from that distance. They both rolled their eyes at her and got into a crouching position from their previous laid down state.

"Alright I'll take the five on the left. Let's go" Gray said, slowly dislodging himself from the group and making his way through the bushes silently. "I'll take the five at the back" Natsu said, gracefully jumping up into a tree and speedily jumping from branch to branch above the bandits.

"Alright Lucy, I'll take the five in the middle, so that means you are taking the five on the right. Let's go" She patted Lucy's shoulder reassuringly and stalked off towards the group of bandits. Lucy jumped over the ledge and let the forest ground take in the weight of her landing to make sure it was silent. She felt like Indiana Jones as she jumped over large rocks and bushes, being stealthy the whole way.

She had this weird feeling in her gut that she intended to ignore, but she ended up thinking about it as she ran. She was worried that it might be her time of the month again, but it didn't quite feel like that type of dread. It was like a tiny hot, burning pit in her stomach. She had this feeling whenever there was something more to be learned, something that she didn't think anything of.

Lucy crouched in the bushes on the side of the road, waiting for the men to walk into place for her attack.

She squinted at one of the men's left arm. Lucy was about 15 meters away from the group, but she still saw it.

She saw the black insignia of Southern Wolves, a dark guild.


End file.
